Customs officers confiscate hidden haul of cigarettes

Image source, HMRC

Image caption, The cigarettes were packed in boxes

A man has been charged after customs officers seized 3.6m suspected illicit cigarettes in North Lanarkshire.

Police discovered the haul hidden in a 20ft container at a business address in Gartcosh on Friday.

HM Revenue & Customs officers confiscated the cigarettes, which are worth an estimated 拢1.3m in lost duty and taxes.

A 58-year-old man was later arrested and charged over the discovery.

Joe Hendry, assistant director of HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service, said: "Tobacco fraudsters are costing the UK around 拢2.5bn a year in lost taxes.

"This is theft of money which should be going to fund public services and is ending up in the pockets of criminals.

"We are disrupting the distribution of illicit tobacco across the UK and levelling the playing field for local businesses who cannot compete with their criminal competitors.

"We encourage anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco to contact our fraud hotline."

Det Insp Colin Campbell said: "This operation is an excellent example of partnership working, resulting in a significant seizure.

"We remain focused on tackling criminality in our communities and we will continue to work closely with our partners, sharing information and intelligence which will lead to the detection and disruption of criminal activity."